Raise the Hammer

Comment 62370

I can see I'm not the only one who's been digging through the history of "jaywalking" lately. Peter Norton's work, especially, is a goldmine for information. Did you know that when they first attempted to enforce these laws, they were so unpopular that ladies attacked policemen with their parasols?

What really blows me away is how willing advocates of the motorcar were to use legislation and the power of the press to enforce their new vision of cities built for cars. And of course, how anyone who questions this is now accused of trying to "force" something on the public.

"Today, the notion of progress in a single line without goal or limit seems perhaps the most parochial notion of a very parochial century."
— Lewis Mumford